Tag: crafts

Rethinking the need for my die-cutting system

November 25, 2025

Yesterday, I spent time cutting out all of the blocks for an upcoming quilt retreat. We’re making a variation of Pecan Blossoms from Fig Tree Quilts. The perfect opportunity to pull out my die-cut machine, strip and small square dies, right?

Not exactly. The pattern calls for strips and squares in less commonly used sizes. I own most sizes of strip dies and their corresponding square dies – just not in two of the sizes needed. AccuQuilt offers those sizes; however, I’m not spending $300.00 for two strip dies I doubt I’ll use again.

I thought about pulling everything out and cutting what parts I could with my die cutting system and then just rotary cutting the rest as usual. Nah. Instead, I reached for my trusty June Tailor Shape Cut ruler and handy conversion chart. I had all my fabric choices finalized, starched and pieces cut to size in an afternoon.

There’s no doubt a die-cutting system is much faster at cutting out fabric versus a traditional rotary cutter and ruler. This assumes you have all of the dies required, the room to store everything and/or you have the means to buy whatever might be missing.

Over the past three months, I’ve used my slit cut ruler (June Tailor Shape Cut) to cut strips, then subcut them into squares and rectangles rather than haul out the die-cutting machine. It’s more convenient. Any applique shapes have been cut using my Cricut Maker or traced/cut by hand. The nature of how I craft, quilt and sew has changed. This time last year, I used the die cut machine to make several cut-outs for Christmas craft activities while I was still teaching literacy enrichment classes.

Perhaps I should add a Stripology XL ruler from Creative Grids to my Christmas Wish List? And make a note to re-evaluate the need to keep my Sizzix Big Shot Plus and assorted dies.

Say hello to a new, old friend

November 19, 2025

In this post, I wrote about saying good-bye to the very first new sewing machine I ever bought for myself – a 30 stitch mechanical Kenmore affectionately referred to as “Old Faithful.” She was a mid-1990’s vintage that was with me from first house to current house, grad school and library maker space activities at school. She was quiet, reliable and kid-friendly.

At Saturday’s machine maintenance class at the SQTM, not one – but two – Kenmore mechanical machines from about the same era as Old Faithful were present. It was wonderful to see these 30 year-old mechanical machines still going strong! Not surprising, as these models were made by Janome. I remember considering the updated teal “Old Faithful” model with needle-up/down, speed control slider and the all-important blanket stitch when I seriously got into quilting. I went with the computerized Pfaff 2046 instead. I was back to a Janome machine within two years.

The universe has a wicked sense of humor. On Sunday afternoon, an updated teal model of “Old Faithful” crossed my path. The story goes that the machine was part of an abandoned storage unit that a flipper had purchased. I brought the sewing machine home to evaluate it for use as a demo machine for Block Party (kid’s sewing) outreach or to pass it along to another guild member who leads a teen sewing group at a nearby library.

Potential applique class sample made using a Kenmore (Janome) 16231.

After working on the machine, I believe the story about it’s history. A customer pick-up label on the side of the box indicates someone purchased the sewing machine in late October 2005 from a Sears store near Las Vegas. The box had been opened and the foot pedal was missing. However, the machine itself is in pristine – essentially untouched – condition. It came with the original brown paper square under the needle and the thin packing tape used for shipping still on certain parts of the machine. It’s almost as if someone opened the box to confirm what they’d purchased and put it away. Then, life apparently happened and the machine wound up in a storage unit somewhere. Said storage unit contents were eventually auctioned off to recover unpaid fees. The universe then made sure it got to me.

Surprisingly, the machine actually sewed right out of the box. The start/stop feature was a little hesitant at first, but it was soon humming along. I oiled and greased the parts I could reach without taking the thing totally apart. That helped! A replacement foot pedal magically arrived via Amazon the next day. I located a service manual late last night. At some point, I’ll remove the covers, clean out the old gunk and add new. This sweet little machine seems to improve the more I use it. The guild member running the teen sewing program at the library informed me she currently has enough machines, so I’ll keep this one to use as a demo machine at different events.

Have your shopping habits changed since Joann closed?

November 9, 2025

Quilty friends and I were chatting about this at a recent get-together. The general answer is yes. More are shopping online, spending more and getting less. A couple of folks noted that we were already heading in that direction with the rise of inflation, online shopping and Atlanta traffic.

Me?

(1) I have to plan ahead more.
Joann was convenient. It carried just about anything I needed for sewing, quilting and crafts. It was open 7 days a week and prices were less than my local quilt shops. It took a little while to find suitable replacement sources for the supplies I prefer to use. Now, I shop 2-3 places to get the same merchandise I could find in a single trip to Joann.

(2) I don’t buy something unless I absolutely need it.
Joann sales & coupons were a great way to stock up on consumable supplies that I regularly use. With Joann gone, Michael’s and Hobby Lobby no longer need to offer as generous of a discount to remain competitive.

(3) Shopping at brick & mortar locations for sewing & quilting stuff has become less frequent, more intentional.
Joann in Kennesaw is where you would often find Sadie and me on Sunday afternoons. It was part of our routine. Sometimes to shop, sometimes for inspiration and sometimes for Sadie to visit different public spaces and practice walking on slick floors in between therapy dog visits. We thoroughly enjoyed our social interactions with customers and staff. Nowadays, the Hobby Lobby location on Akers Mill welcomes us on random Wednesday mornings when I need quilt backing fabric or interfacing that’s on sale.

The only pet-friendly quilt/gift shop in my area recently changed to a no dogs allowed policy after another customer’s dog hiked his leg on several bolts of fabric. Totally understand, but the new policy means this shop is no longer a regular destination on our “Sadie shopping” rotation. We bought special jerky treats carried in the gift side of the shop. (I recently found the same jerky treats at a new specialty pet store closer to home.) I’ll pop in on the way home from monthly guild meetings if I have time to stop, but that’s it. Specific online retailers with reasonable shipping rates are now my usual go-tos when I do need something only found in a quilt shop.

How about you?